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#1 2002-12-17 10:17 pm
- enembee
- Member
- Registered: 2002-07-19
- Posts: 132
OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Here's the scenario:
Old G3 running 9.2.2 w/ 198Mb of RAM and "About this Mac" shows the OS using anywhere from 32-37 Mbs on a regular basis.
Fast forward to the new dual 1.25Ghz machine we just got in the office, fully loaded with 2 gigs of RAM, also running on 9.2.2 "About this Mac" now shows that the OS is using 656 MEGS OF RAM!!!!!
ALL THE TIME!
What the heck is going on? I would MUCH rather have that RAM available for Photoshop, and it doesn't seem like anything else is different for the OS. For that matter, I still get out of memory errors on occasion when a particularly large print file is spooling on the desktop printer.
Anyone know if this is something that can be fixed? Should I just stop worrying about it?
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#2 2002-12-17 11:03 pm
- Egress
- Connoisseur of Eyebrows
- From: Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Registered: 2000-02-05
- Posts: 5049
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Go to the Memory control panel and set the Disk Cache. Click on "custom setting" and set it to a reasonable number. For your machine, 5-10 MB.
The control panel enables "Default Setting" by default. It's proportional to your installed RAM, so the G4's 2 gigs resulted in an absurdly large disk cache.
Hey!!! Was that Pithy? Got a twenty?
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#3 2002-12-18 9:35 am
- enembee
- Member
- Registered: 2002-07-19
- Posts: 132
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
I'll give it a shot, thanks very much!
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#4 2002-12-19 7:24 pm
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
One of the main reasons why Apple adopted the PPC(as opposed to the option of continueing with the 68xx cpu which was actually faster than PPC for quite awhile) was the beauty File Mapping, which is a part of VM.
PPC native apps run faster, are more efficient and are more stable with VM turned on.
As I type this with Photoshop 7, IE 5.1, AOL 7 and Thoth running my 9.2.2 install is using 33.2 meg of memory and I have 640 meg of ram installed. And I am useing default cache settings.
Turn on VM!!
I’m not ready to make nice-I’m not ready to back down-I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round-It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could-‘Cause I’m mad as hell-Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should
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#5 2002-12-20 9:55 pm
- Egress
- Connoisseur of Eyebrows
- From: Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Registered: 2000-02-05
- Posts: 5049
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Everything runs just fine without VM, too, if you have plenty of RAM.
Some applications, especially video and audio apps that use large files, run better without VM. Some require VM to be off.
Hey!!! Was that Pithy? Got a twenty?
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#6 2002-12-20 10:54 pm
- enembee
- Member
- Registered: 2002-07-19
- Posts: 132
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Changing the cache didn't seem to really do much at all, and, with 2 gigs of ram, I'm not sure virtual memory is the solution either, but maybe when i get back to work after the holidays I'll try that.
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#7 2002-12-21 5:07 pm
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Its a shame that Apple choose to combine Virtual Memory and File mapping into the same control panel, it really confused the issue.
Yes some spicific applications particularly Vidio and High end Audio require VM to be turned of but the original question mentioned Photoshop and the System.
If you do a get info on PhotoShop 7 you will be informed that PS will requre over 15 megs more memory allocation just to open if VM is disabled.
The only real downside to turning on VM with lots of memory is the huge honking swap file VM creats but if you have lots of ram you wont ever actually be doing any disk swapping.
Turn VM on and set it to just one meg over your installed total and check it out. It works for me and I bet you see your System Ram use drop radically. At least thats what I have found on my own Mac. As always, your mileage may vary.
I’m not ready to make nice-I’m not ready to back down-I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round-It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could-‘Cause I’m mad as hell-Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should
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#8 2002-12-22 10:13 pm
- Egress
- Connoisseur of Eyebrows
- From: Rockville, Maryland, USA
- Registered: 2000-02-05
- Posts: 5049
Re: OS 9.2.2 and Memory usage
Yep. Having one MB more VM than RAM was the old Apple default. It's a nice middle-of the road solution.
I've fallen into the habit of not using it. I do have one Mac that I use VM on-- a Performa 640 CD that runs 8.1 with 40 MB of RAM. I have VM set to 60 MB. I picked a number I could be comfortable with. I use it because it can make old printers work again, and I have an old SCSI laser printer I can use.
I have a 6400 with 104 MB, and never use VM on it. It's my audio machine. That thing is a master at recording and manipulating audio. I still use it sometimes, even though my G4 stole away nearly every task it could do, except for running SonixWORX and driving a Stylewriter II.
The G4 has 256 MB, and I use OS 9 without VM, and OS X in the usual VM-on fashion. Is it even possible to disable VM in OS X? I haven't tried. But despite having VM on, OS X is the one with tight memory. I'd like to run Classic and X-Windows at the same time, but that means using the swapfile alot. Throw in a browser or two, iTunes, and Mail.app, and it bogs down. I should get more RAM, because this conservation-of-RAM stuff is tedious. I have a scriptlet called Quit Anything X, which brings up a menu of running apps, and I can quit any or all. Pretty handy.
Hey!!! Was that Pithy? Got a twenty?
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